Introducing…the Occupation Thesaurus!

Let’s say you’re at a party, and you meet someone new. The small talk begins. If you want to learn more about them, what’s one of the first things you ask?

“So, what do you do?”

Asking this question can accelerate the getting-to-know-you process because the answer often tells you something about who that person might be. Nobody likes cliches, but careers can draw certain personality types. To test this theory, ask a handful of people what predominant traits an accountant, or preschool teacher, or artist might have. There are always exceptions, but many people within a given field share certain traits, passions, and abilities. True, the job may not be one they necessarily like or would have chosen for themselves, but that information can also tell you something about who they are and are not.

A career is one of the things that defines each of us, and the same is true for our characters. But as with most important aspects of your character’s life, a career shouldn’t be chosen randomly. Their job can play an important part in the overall plot and their character arc by helping them achieve outer motivations (story goals), providing natural sources of conflict, and allowing them opportunities to succeed and fail, grow and change, and learn about themselves.

This is why Angela and I have decided that our next thesaurus at Writers Helping Writers will be about occupations. A certain amount of research is necessary for someone to authentically write about a character’s career, especially if it’s not one the author has personally experienced. So each entry will highlight a specific occupation and will contain information that you, as an author, might need to know, such as…

Required Training. How will your character go about becoming an athletic coach, astronaut, glassblower, or auto mechanic? If he’s already living his dream, what training did he have to go through?

Helpful Skills and Personality Traits. Every job includes areas of proficiency and personality traits that enable the person to succeed. Physical strength, dexterity, knowledge of higher mathematics, being able to sing or play a musical instrument, organization, charm, ambition—each of these can make a person much better (or really awful) at various jobs. Knowing which abilities and traits to give or withhold from your character will enable you to help him succeed or cause necessary stumbling blocks that can provide structure for your story and propel him or her along the character arc.

Sources of Friction. When it comes to sources of conflict, there are two biggies for most people: family and work. Workplace friction can be internal (feeling unappreciated, doubting one’s ability to succeed, being jealous of a co-worker) or external (having a boss who plays favorites, not making enough money, experiencing harassment on the job), and is often caused by the people we interact with on a daily basis. So knowing these possible sources can be especially handy when you need to amp up the tension in a scene.

Impact on Basic Human Needs. If you’ve been around Writers Helping Writers for any period of time, you know that we’re kind of obsessed with psychology and how it can be applied to characters. We’ve talked a lot about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how the needs that are missing in our characters’ lives should be a driving force in their decision making. Many times, a character’s job can cause a void in one of these important areas. Exploring this can help you see how the career you choose for your character can shore up your storyline and drive him toward the overall goal (or individual scene goals) that can keep your story on track.

We’re very excited about this thesaurus because, along with providing the foundation of research required for a slew of possible occupations, it also will explore how these jobs can contribute meaningfully to the plot and the character’s inner growth. We hope each entry will give you ideas on how to tie together the important elements of your story so they’re all working in tandem with the character’s inner and outer motivations, propelling them forward on their journey to wholeness and contentment.

Twisting Stereotypes. In fiction, we can often see characters with a specific job be cast in a stereotypical light (which can be unrepresentative and cliche of the real profession) to further the plot or act as a characterization short cut. We will offer ways to twist these so you don’t fall into a trap that may do a disservice to your story.

We could use your help with something, though. In researching occupations, it quickly became clear that we’ll never be able to assemble a comprehensive catalogue of entries. One resource listed over 12,000 careers to choose from. So…not even close, lol. We want to showcase a variety of jobs, including the popular ones many authors will need and the not-so-common ones that can challenge you to think outside the box and pursue possibilities you might not have considered.

This is, hopefully, where you come in. If there’s an occupation you’d like to see us cover, would you please tell us in the comments? If the career you’re interested in has already been mentioned, do still include it; this will show us which ones are really popular and could increase our chances of writing about it. We have to take a lot of things into consideration when choosing which entries to include in a thesaurus, so we won’t be able to write about every occupation that comes up, but seeing which ones are of interest to you all would be SUPER helpful for us.

Can I just say Thank You, in advance? You all continue to be the inspiration behind our work as we try and figure out which resources and information will help improve your stories and grow you as writers. In short, YOU ROCK!

We can’t wait to see what you come up with. Look for the first entry next Saturday!

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About BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling. You can find Becca online at both of these spots, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

91 Responses to Introducing…the Occupation Thesaurus!

These entries are definitely thought-provoking. I hope there will be a book for these in the future. In the meantime these entries can really get me thinking.

I know it’s a little traditional and inside the box, but would you consider doing one for a detective? Or people in law enforcement. I am interested in these occupations from a literary aspect and wonder how characters with these jobs would come off. Keep up the other entries, too.

Hi, John! It’s a little too early to tell if this thesaurus will become a book or not. We’ll keep you posted :). In the meantime, we have detective on our list, along with some other law enforcement occupations, so you might see those in the future. Glad you’re liking this collection.

I’d love to know what HR people do. I know there are a lot of branches under human resources including training and development, but some like HR Generalist and HR Specialist cover bits and pieces of everything. I know they also include Talent Acquisitions, but does that mean that this person’s job is to be on the look out for new talents all day? What if there are no vacancies?
HR has recently become a fancy word – in some places – for doing zilch. Why do I need a degree to become an HR employee?

i would like to see occupation geared more toward historical genres. i am writing a fantasy romance and there are so many jobs that don’t exist as they did several hundred years ago.
blacksmiths
dressmakers/ tailor /seamstress
soldiers/officers
book binders/printers/ scribes

There are so many great suggestions here, I almost hate to add to the list, but I have a Protagonist who got a degree in Sociology then discovers she can’t find a job and ends up Waitressing.

However, by the end of the book she discovers her love of music and applies her skills to become a Music Therapist. I would love to see both of these occupations included in your Occupational Thesaurus.
Thank you for providing these great resources!

Wow. Every time I think there can’t be any more subjects to create a thesaurus about, you turn around and do it anyways. Your occupation thesaurus will be soooo helpful!!! I write mm romance, and men tend to define themselves more through their jobs than women (VERY generalized statement, I know). Can’t wait to get my hands on your next opus!!

I love this! Especially since I only have so much time in a given week to write. On the angle of different occupation for historical research, even those writing modern-day fiction could use insight into jobs from the past. For example, if a grandparent or older person is a character, insight into their career while younger likely shaped where they ended up later in life. Occupations that come to mind could be traveling salesman, field or orchard worker, jazz musician, veteran, locksmith, mechanic, pastor, pastor’s wife. Modern-day options: homeschooling mom (or dad), extreme sports (BMX, skateboarding, skydiving), house flipper (or couple), wedding planner… Looking forward to this new resource whatever occupations you choose.

Awesome idea! The different types of engineers: civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, aeronautical. Astronaut. Research scientist in the corporate world. CIA/spies. FBI. Bounty hunters. Different types of police jobs. Geneticist, especially in the corporate world. Congressperson or politician in general. Factory positions in an electronics manufacturing plant.

I’d be happy to be a resource on technical writers, if you should decide to include that as a profession (although it seems like you’ve got a lot of much more interesting ones suggested here in the comments!).

Optician (aka Optical Technician)
Elementary School Secretary
Computer Operator (from the 80’s before the Internet became a household name and way before almost everyone had a laptop or desktop computer)

Patient Experience Officer, a female escort, male escort, a temp, pole dancer, burlesque dancer, maybe? How about a retiree? It isn’t a career in the strictest sense of the word, but I tend to wonder how a retiree viewed not doing anything at all. Was s/he sent out to pasture even before he expected? Does s/he wish they could be doing something even in their old age but no one wants to hire them? Just a thought.

I have all of your books (they’ve been a tremendous help!) and looking forward to getting the Emotional Wound Thesaurus this October. 🙂

Fantastic idea!
I would love to see information about the following medical professions, especially in a hospital setting:
Nurses
Doctors
Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Psychologists/counselors

I would also be really interested in the following careers:
Robotics, especially design or maintenance
Drones, anything really
Cyber Security.

Bakers, clergy, wheelwright, barber, doctor, soldier, ship’s captain and crew, servant, etc., etc. . . any occupation from the Medieval times on up through the Civil War, for those of us who write historical fiction. 😉 Thanks so much!!

Any type of forensic analyst (fingerprint, DNA, videotape, tire/shoe treads, handwriting, financial). Any career involving animals or the land–veterinarian (both small and large animal), farmers, ranchers, vineyards/wineries, breweries, (these are very popular in NOVA where I live), landscape designers, florists, etc. Perhaps realtors, house flippers and home stagers? Mechanics and technical designers.

Think of each the above and what they could do if saying, they wanted to kill somebody or put blame on somebody for a death. Their job skill could prove very handy. The skill could give then an edge in avoiding being caught for the crime.

Architects, rock band (sure we all kinda know about how the famous people do it, but what about the ones that aren’t yet, what are their lives like, traveling in old buses, poor acoustics, venue owners…), and everything Monica said. What a great idea! Can’t wait to buy!

This would be a fantastic addition to my thesaurus collection. What a great idea. For my future writing projects, I’d like to know about high school teachers (specifically a French teacher), gym instructors and personal trainers, and novelists… I’m not published yet so have no experience about this field!

I used to be coal mines geologist in the UK then moved to work in the oil and gas industry as a geologist on oil rigs in S. E Asia. Later I moved into the office and became Training and Health and Safety Manager.

But I’d also like to see occupations listed that might not be around anymore or are practiced by a very few (for the historical writers):
Schoolmarm/Governess
Switchboard Operators
Soda Jerk
Lady’s Companion
Artisan Craftsmen
Bookbinders
Stationers
Train Conductors/Brakemen
Boardinghouse Keeper
Various forms of domestics service

That’s all for now. Since I usually write Fantasy and it looks like it’s been pretty well covered by others in this comment thread, I will refrain from listing them. I usually end up picking apart other Thesaurus entries, combining and morphing them into something that suits my needs anyway, so if the fantasy occupations don’t make it in, it wouldn’t bother me too much. Besides lots of them live in modern occupations. After all, alchemy is nothing more than chemistry and brewing is still the same as it’s always been although the equipment has been upgraded.

I’m super excited about this one! (I think I might say that about all of your book, though, because they’re all amazing.)

Off the top of my head, I’d love to see the following included: concert musician (instrumental), veterinarian, architect, and something science based (biologist, geneticist, chemist). Though I also liked the idea mentioned about above someone working in environmental protection.

OMG, this is a FABULOUS idea! How about horse trainer, knight(hey, it might be medieval but info would be great, lol), breadmaker, Shepherd, cowboy, and so many more I can’t think of but I’m sure this is going to be a valuable book to own!

One of our sons is a professional poker player. He has traveled all over the world making a good living this way. (It’s how he met his lovely wife, too!) She runs a company that puts on casino parties. The culture of the poker universe is fascinating.

I never realized until I was on the other side of the desk just how much is involved, not to mention how much you can find out!

People open up to clerks while checking in/out and the clerk has access to a lot of information about those checking in…including secrets both personal and professional. Clerks see activities both in the hotel and surrounding area and when they’re conducting business in the lobby/conference room, they overhear things, whether they intend to or not.

I’ve even considered a book(s) about a hotel/motel used as sort of a rehab location for agents or assassins taken out of the field for physical and/or psychological reasons. And another where an ex-assassin whose lack of a job draws too much attention.

I was an operations manager in financial services for years, both banking and insurance. Skill set was practically everything from customer service to system conversions. Be happy to help if you’re interested.

Fashion Designer, of course. But the lessor know fashion specialties of Sunglasses Designer and Accessories Designer would be of interest. I love your Thesaurus, and I look forward to another one. Thanks.

Oh my goodness, I’m so excited for this thesaurus!! I think it’d be cool if you included some fantasy-type occupations. Like, a warrior. Or even a Dark Lord, lol, or a magician. Or a treasure hunter (one of my MCs is a treasure hunter, and it’s more than just a hobby – that’s his actual job.)
Some occupations that aren’t necessarily fantasy related are a dancer/singer, a musician, a scientist, and a king or ruler of a country.
Anyway, those are my ideas. I’m so excited!

Wow! This is so good! I’d love to read about chefs.
Another idea for you would be a concert violinist, music teacher, orchestra director, pro level, K-12, and college. (My husband is a professional violinist and music teacher. He also repairs stringed instruments.)
You might consider instrument creation. It takes a lot to create a violin or any stringed instrument. (We were close friends with the violin maker who made my husband’s instrument. He died a few years ago, but he grew up in Nazi Germany and managed to escape.)

Great idea you two! Some of the most interesting characters are those who defy the typical traits of their professions (mean nurses – yikes!) or those in which same personality traits work for two completely different professions – in “The Accountant” the character’s exacting, hyper-focused skills made him a brilliant numbers guy AND a super – duper hit man!

I think this is a great idea! I’ve got all your other books and I see this being another to eventually add to my collection! 😀 (Can’t wait for the emotional wound thesaurus!)

Not sure if its within your scope but as well as the contemporary careers I’d love to see this cover some of the more ‘fantasy’ or ‘medieval’ type careers e.g. Knight/Soldier, King/Queen, Blacksmith, Merchant, Mercenary, Scholar, Mage, Servant, Thief etc

Not sure there will be much interest, but I’m a warhead engineer. Warhead engineers tend to have mechanical or aerospace engineer degrees, and we learn about explosives. Our jobs are a little morbid at times, since we talk about the best ways to kill people. If you’d like more information just contact me.

Ladies, I LOOOOOOOOOOooooooove this SOOOOOoooo much! Years ago I researched all the books on “picking an occupation” for this very reason. What especially excites me about this is I KNOW you ladies include all the info a writer needs with this topic. Thank you SO much!!!! 😀 😀 😀 oxoxoxoxoxoxox

I always been interested in learning about policemen and policewomen. Maybe that would be a good career one to work on. My occupation, other than trying to work out as a writer, is a surgical technology if you’re interested in knowing something about that. I could help with any questions you may have.

This is so awesome! I’m very excited about the new thesaurus. It will be so helpful in learning how the rights occupations will be better (or worse, heh heh) for our characters.
But let’s face it–EVERYTHING you ladies do is amazing. We, as writers, owe y’all big time!
(If you need insight into Executive Assistants, I can give you lots of info and insights – ins, outs, joys, frustrations, politics. Got lots of fodder this week, in fact. ?)

I just love all of these thesaurus books and the website..!! And, this one will be another great source. My few suggestions are: Medical Examiner, Funeral Director (Undertaker), Law Enforcement (police, sheriff, etc…), and Private Investigator. I could list a million others, but these are currently of interest to me and immediately came to mind.